Just one of those VERY special, delightful big screen experiences.
Pure joy.
Chalk me up as another fan of the music. It feels celebratory and fills you with warmth. Not knowing the LOTR music at the time, I had no misgivings as to Rosenman ripping himself off or not. I just remember playing that cassette to death!
Yes, it felt like a Christmas movie, and not the least because Majel Barrett travelled around the US in the months leading up to its release and promised fans a celebratory experience for not only Christmas but also for Trek's twentieth anniversary.
She didn't lie and I STILL think of it as a Christmas present for all of us from Gene and Majel. It just feels VERY personal.
TNG was already on the horizon and the future of Trek was filled with excitement. I STILL remember my first viewing (of four at the cinema that Christmas), going with my dad (a long-time ST fan). There was a visiting US aircraft carrier in Fremantle at the time and when the Enterprise came onscreen (the aircraft carrier portraying the Enterprise), all of these American navy guys clapped, whooped and hollered in that way you see Americans doing. I remember the feeling in the cinema went through the roof!
There was something to be said for having to wait two years but, by GOD did you appreciate it and enjoy it!
Wonderful days and it's a privilege to have been a ST fan back then.